The Director of Total sports, Leon Ukandu, a total sports equipment shop, dealing on all sports materials has provided a lifeline to youths under the age of 17 to be screened into the national U-17 football team of Nigeria.
Emmanuel Amunike is the newly appointed coach of the national U-17 male football team of Nigeria.
He was sponsored by Leon Ukandu, the Director of Total sports outfit to Port Harcourt to conduct the screening of U-17 players to constitute the national u-17 male football team. The event took place in two stadia, day one screening was conducted at Liberation Stadium while day two exercise was conducted at Sharks stadium.
According to Leon Uknadu, a total of 19 players were screened to constitute the national male u-17 football team of Nigeria from Port Harcourt.
At Sharks stadium a total of 32 teams presented their players for screening. 300 players turned up for screening at Liberation stadium. 200 players came from the 23 LGAs of the state.
According to the organizer of the exercise, Emmanuel Amunike had been to Jos before he was sponsored to Port Harcourt by him, “total sports”.
Leon Ukandu the organizer of the exercise hinted that the 19 players screened from Port Harcourt will be joining their counterparts screened from Jos and other states soonest.
The Newswriter sports gathered that Emmanuel Amunike will be preparing his u-17 team for trial matches with lots of African countries. At the time of filing in this report no country’s name has been mentioned.
But speculatively Togo is said to be one of the country the proposed newly constituted national u-17 football team would play friendly matches.
Amunike coming to Port Harcourt was the singular effort of one man, Ukandu Leon, the Director of total sports, in contribution to sports in Nigeria to encourage youth and give leverage to the national football side, providing opportunity for the newly appointed national u-17 football team coach is the sole responsibility of Nigeria football federation (NFF) though concerned well to do individuals and corporate organizations could at will lean a helping hand in development football or sports in Nigeria.
The Rivers State sports Ministry was not even aware of the exercise but if the players screened from Port Harcourt, if they make the final national u-17 team list at the end of the day, the credit will definitely go to Port Harcourt or better still the Rivers State government of the day.
We gathered Leon Ukandu, the Director of Total sports had never benefitted from the Rivers State sports ministry as a way of awarding him contract to dress or kit the two Rivers State sponsored football teams, Sharks and Dolphins whereas he has the wherewithal to kit Sharks and dolphins according to a wise saying, to him much is given much is expected.
Leon Ukandu aka Total sports had given much to be given the responsibility of kitting Sharks and Dolphins.
The Rivers State sports ministry should as a matter of fact encourage those who are ready to promote sports in the state by providing them the opportunity to enjoy sports by contributing meaningfully to society development.###
